Chapter 335: Difficult Mission, Sniper Profession

Chapter 335: Chapter 335: Difficult Mission, Sniper Profession

The ordinary zombies were just an appetizer.

The real nightmare was probably the mutated zombies lurking deep within the ruins—the ones that had devoured vast amounts of flesh and even assimilated the Abilities of Players.

"ROAR—!"

In the few short seconds the two had been talking, the zombie that had been sent flying actually staggered back to its feet.

The crater in its chest was horrifying to behold, but it seemed completely unaware, letting out another roar as it lurched toward them.

At the same time, more shambling figures in the distance, seemingly drawn by the commotion, began to slowly converge on their position.

A cold glint flashed in Seraphina Sullivan’s eyes, and she hesitated no longer.

She raised her hand, and the Magic Scissors swiftly materialized in her grip.

"We can’t let it make any more noise. Take it out. Then we leave immediately and find a relatively safe place to check the mission."

She made a swift judgment.

Sean Chandler understood. This time, he didn’t use his fists.

His figure flashed, appearing at the zombie’s side like a phantom.

A sharp dagger, which had appeared in his hand at some point, stabbed precisely and swiftly into the zombie’s temple. With a twist of his wrist—

"CRACK."

Following the faint sound of bone fracturing, the savage light in the zombie’s eyes extinguished completely. Its body slumped to the ground, and this time, it didn’t get back up.

Their first battle was a success, but neither of them felt the slightest bit of relief.

They knew this was just the opening act of this instance.

The true battle for survival, the "Civilization Trial" against time, was only just beginning.

Seraphina Sullivan and Sean Chandler quickly cleared a three-story building that looked relatively sturdy and had a good field of view.

The two zombies wandering inside were dealt with silently.

They barricaded the ground-floor entrance and some of the windows, then occupied a room on the top floor with a wide view to serve as a temporary base.

Once they were temporarily safe, Seraphina immediately focused her mind.

She released Flora Sullivan and Moe from her Space.

"Boss!"

Flora Sullivan appeared beside Seraphina, holding Moe.

"Flora, Moe, be careful of the zombies in this world. Don’t get scratched."

Flora Sullivan and Moe nodded, understanding their duty.

Seraphina then pulled up the mission list for the [Zombie Kingdom] instance.

When the clear text materialized in her mind,

even with her temperament, she couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath. Her feelings became incredibly complicated.

[Main Mission 1: Basic Survival]

Objective: Survive for 30 days within the Zombie Kingdom instance.

[Main Mission 2: Purification and Cleanup]

Objective: Kill a total of 30,000 ordinary zombies (Current Progress: 2/30,000).

[Main Mission 3: Sample Collection]

Objective: Discover and collect 10 different types of "special zombie specimens" (Current Progress: 0/10). Note: Special zombies refer to individuals that have undergone obvious mutations, possess Special Abilities, or are significantly different from ordinary zombies.

[Main Mission 4: Virus Source Tracing]

Objective: Obtain 3 "special zombie virus gene samples" from different sources (Current Progress: 0/3). Note: Must be collected from special zombie specimens, virus sources, or high-risk areas.

The missions were cold, the requirements clear, devoid of any emotion.

And at the very end, that heart-stopping system notification flashed once more:

[Ding! Reminder: The Zombie Kingdom instance is a ’Civilization-Linked’ special instance. The overall mission completion rate of all Players will directly affect the real world of Azure Star! If the trial fails, the Zombie Virus will descend upon reality!]

’Thirty thousand ordinary zombies... per person? And we have to find and collect ten different types of special zombies? We even have to get virus gene samples?’

Seraphina felt an absurd amount of pressure.

It wasn’t that she couldn’t complete it; for someone with her array of Skills, killing thirty thousand zombies wasn’t an issue.

The problem was, this trial wasn’t a one-person fight.

The system had explicitly stated it was looking at the "overall mission completion rate of all Players."

This meant that the weaker, unluckier, or less determined Players could very well drag down the overall progress.

As long as the overall completion rate fell below 80%, Azure Star would still face the devastating catastrophe of a Zombie Virus outbreak!

’This is basically gambling the fate of the entire planet on the average skill level and cooperative ability of all Players...’

A sense of powerlessness washed over Seraphina, and she even felt the urge to curse.

But she quickly suppressed this frustration.

Complaining wouldn’t solve anything. The only thing to do now was to try her best, finish her own share first, and help and ally with any other reliable Players she encountered.

’Forget it, I won’t overthink it for now. The key is to increase my own combat power.’

She took a deep breath and turned her attention to her core Ability, the [Worker] Talent.

Gaining a new Profession every time she entered a new instance was her most important asset for surviving in this zombie world.

With a flicker of her will, she activated the Talent.

The familiar Profession selection interface appeared. This time, two completely different options materialized before her.

The first Profession: [Sniper].

[Ability One: Universal Sniper Rifle: Allows the user to materialize a special, soul-bound sniper rifle out of thin air. This rifle can compress, convert, and load any of the user’s offensive or functional Skills into "Special Bullets" that possess the Skill’s traits. For example, the [Anesthetic] Skill can be converted into an [Anesthetic Bullet], and even [Clean Bubble] can be converted into a [Cleaning Bullet]. The bullet’s power and Effect are determined by the original Skill’s Level and the amount of spiritual power invested by the user.]

[Ability Two: Hundred Shots Hundred Hits (Passive): When attacking with a ranged weapon, you gain an ’Absolute Hit’ correction. Your attacks are guaranteed to hit the exact spot you target.]

The moment she saw the description for the [Sniper] Profession, Seraphina’s eyes lit up!

Her heart couldn’t help but beat faster.

The Abilities of this Profession were practically tailor-made for this zombie instance!

In a world that demanded avoiding close contact at all costs, emphasized precise headshots, and was filled with all sorts of special mutations, a sniper rifle that could convert her diverse Skills into special ammunition and guarantee Hundred Shots Hundred Hits was of immeasurable strategic value!

This meant she could stay in a safe location and deal with different threats using the most appropriate methods.

She could pick off ordinary zombies with normal or enhanced bullets.

She could use Special Bullets made from her Skills to test or counter special zombies, and could even potentially develop "sniper support" to heal or assist teammates!

She suppressed the urge to choose it immediately and looked at the second option.

The second Profession: [Fighting Master].

[Ability One: Martial Arts: Grants comprehensive close-quarters combat techniques and fighting instincts, significantly increasing attack efficiency, evasion, and combo fluency when fighting bare-handed or with cold weapons. Allows the user to actively enter a ’Martial State’, temporarily boosting reaction speed and explosive power.]

[Ability Two: Qigong: Allows the user to cultivate and utilize the Energy of ’Qi’. In the early stages, it can be used to strengthen attacks and defense, forming simple projections of Qi Force; at advanced levels of cultivation, one can unleash abilities such as the Inner Wave and Protective Gang Qi.]